Thursday, September 20, Vilnius - President Dalia Grybauskaitė welcomed the winners and organizers of the Swedish Business Awards. During the event, which is taking place the sixth year already and has become traditional, awards are conferred on Lithuania-based businesses for innovative, transparent and socially responsible business. At the so-called “Business Nobel Prizes” ceremony, outstanding entrepreneurs in Lithuania are awarded by the Embassy of Sweden and the Swedish Trade Council, Press Service of the President reports.

“Swedish Business Awards not only encourage a culture of social responsibility and innovation in our country, but also serve as an excellent proof of friendship between the two countries. The energy security sector best of all illustrates that the Baltic-Nordic cooperation is based on action, not words. We are connecting to the Scandinavian electricity networks and continue to strengthen our bilateral partnership,” the President said addressing the audience.

The President underlined that the Swedish Business Awards were among the few ceremonies where applauding the winners we feel proud for our country too. They testify to the growth of a socially responsible, innovation-oriented and environmentally friendly business in Lithuania, she said.

According to the President, Lithuania strives to ensure the best possible climate to its business people and to foreign entrepreneurs. The investigation conducted by the Embassy of Sweden and the Swedish Trade Council assessed favorably the investment environment in Lithuania. It showed that the respondents – heads of Swedish companies – had never faced corruption in our country. The positive experience contributes to promoting investment in Lithuania – during this year alone Swedish business representatives have invested over LTL 230 million in our country.

The President wished for Sweden and Lithuania to keep intensifying business, political, economic and people-to-people cooperation as is proper for close partners and neighbors.